Sewage leak at Merry Beach Holiday & Caravan Park Kioloa
A sewage leak at a south coast caravan park is sending untreated effluent into a creek and nearby beach, prompting a clean-up operation at the popular tourist spot.
NSW
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A south coast holiday park is at the centre of an environmental watchdog probe after thousands of litres of untreated effluent leaked from the site and flowed into a nearby beach.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority has issued the Merry Beach Holiday & Caravan Park in Kioloa a clean-up order following a suspected pollution incident at the site in late January.
On January 28, the authority said it received notification from the park operator that a leak of untreated effluent had occurred and was discharging about 7000L of sewage each day.
Initial investigations indicate the source of the leak is an onsite sewerage irrigation line which had been leaking for about 10 days, sending untreated effluent into a nearby creek which flows directly into Merry Beach.
The caravan park is metres from the beach and is a popular spot among summer holiday-makers.
It is understood the untreated effluent has been leaking from a sewerage line about 500m from the beach.
The EPA says the leak has the “potential to cause degradation of waters and potential harm to human health”.
As part of the clean-up order the park operator INA Operations Pty Ltd will be required to place signage at access points around affected waterways to inform the public of the leak.
The clean-up order also requires repairs to be undertaken and independently assessed as well as sampling of affected waterways including to test for E coli.
A park spokeswoman said the cause of the incident was a broken underground pipe which was identified via a routine inspection.
“On identification the pipe was immediately repaired and the EPA notified,” she said.
“We are currently complying with the order and will work with the EPA to ensure that any further required action is taken.”
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Originally published as Sewage leak at Merry Beach Holiday & Caravan Park Kioloa
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